Name: Annie Falk
Current hometown(s): Palm Beach, New York, Southampton
Congratulations on your recent book, Palm Beach Entertaining: Creating Occasions to Remember! Tell us about your book and top tips?Thank you! I am so excited about this book, a project that has been a blessing from the start! I invited my friends,
Victoria Amory,
Aime Dunstan and
Daphne Nikolopoulous to join me in creating this book and we had great fun working on it! Everyone generously donated their time and talent; and our generous friends in Palm Beach opened their homes and hearths to us. We created something very unique. A cookbook, yes, but one that includes wonderful photos to inspire your next tablescape, tips and anecdotes on party giving and stories about the hosts and hostesses we feature, including trend setter’s
Beth DeWoody,
Kara Ross and
Celerie Kemble; style icons like Arnold Scaasi and polo player Nic Roldan. We also have a section called Host Selections that includes our host and hostesses’ go to sources for everything from flowers to stationery.
Some of my favorite tips from the book:• “Serve good food that you know people will enjoy. Who doesn’t like chocolate cake?” ~ Beth DeWoody
• “When planning your dinner, think of the five senses, and appeal to all of them.” ~ Nadine Kalachnikoff & Lars Bolander
• “Use recipes that you trust and are crowd-pleasers.” ~ Kathryn Vecellio
• “Put together an interesting group of people who will enjoy talking to each other, and mix young and old.” ~ Talbott Maxey & Kit Pannill
As you may know, all the proceeds benefit the Children’s Home Society of Florida and the families it serves. Please check out their website if you want to learn more. http://www.chsfl.org.
Palm Beach Entertaining is available at most bookstores and online at Amazon.com.
An integral part of CIRCA’s culture is philanthropy, and there is nothing more gratifying than the opportunity to help others. Tell us about your involvement with The Palm Beach Police Foundation.I joined the board of trustees two years ago and I have chaired the past two annual galas in Palm Beach. I love planning events and the PBPF Gala is the most fun, well-attended on the island. Everyone comes out for the men and women in blue! The mission of the foundation is to enrich the lives of the police officers and civilian employees of the Palm Beach Police department and their families. Monies raised go toward the purchase of cutting edge equipment, supplemental training of police officers, funding of educational scholarships for qualified children of department employees and toward offering emergency financial assistance to officers injured or disabled in the line of duty, as well as to support Palm Beach Crime Watch in its mission to maintain a police-community partnership to reduce crime.
The peace and serenity we enjoy here in Palm Beach allows a quality of life that is immeasurable and is attained through an unprecedented police-community relationship. The efforts of the Palm Beach Police Foundation help ensure that collaboration endures, and I am honored to be a part of it.
What advice would you offer to aspiring philanthropists?Follow your heart! Giving of oneself if the greatest gift you can offer humanity; so whatever talents you possess, offer them to those in need. You will be sure to find and engage in work that will nourish your spirit.
At CIRCA, we believe every jewel tells a story. Tell us about your favorite or most significant piece of jewelry.I have so many favorites and a few significant pieces, but the one item I wear all the time is my
Tiffany stainless steel tank watch. On 9/11 when I, like many New Yorker’s, was fleeing my apartment, I took some files that I knew held irreplaceable documents. I later discovered that mixed in those files were a few gift certificates for Tiffany’s and I couldn’t remember putting them there or why I hadn’t used them. I promised myself that if I were able to safely return to my home in NY, one of the first stops I would make would be Tiffany’s and I’d buy myself a watch to serve as a reminder of how precious time is and how important it is to make the best of every day, every minute and every encounter.
Do you have a style icon that has influenced you?Hubert Hermes, once said to me taste is made from a lot of bad taste. Of course it sounds much more beautiful in French. Essentially, he said, a woman needs to know what she absolutely does not like in order to determine what she loves. This rule applies to dressing yourself, decorating your home, dressing your tables for an intimate dinner and choosing the art with witch your surround yourself. I have always gravitated toward things elegant and feminine yet faintly sexy. My style icons are Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Wood and Consuelo, Duchess of Marlborough. I am attracted to Paul César Helleu’s famous portrait of the Duchess as it represents an age of elegance; a style and grace that are reflected in one’s choice of clothing, comportment and surroundings.
What do you feel best wearing? Do you have a go to outfit?I feel most comfortable in a dress or a halter top jumpsuit (so glad they keep coming back in style). This season I wore my Cavalli snake print stretch-jersey dress over and over again. It is so comfortable and by changing accessories or adding a sweater it never looked like the same dress.
Do you have a current favorite designer(s)?Last week, before leaving for Cuba, I literally raided
Calypso St. Barth. Their pieces are unique and feminine and so effortless. Inspired by travel it is no wonder their things travel so well ~ I packed 10 dresses and still got away with one bag! I know I will wear some of those pieces in Palm Beach as it warms up and others in Southampton this summer.
My closet is full of things by Oscar and by my friend,
Carmen Marc Valvo; two of my favorite designers. I have some classic Chanel that I will never get rid of and have worn for years and know I will wear for years to come. When our economic fluctuations paralyzed so many talented designers I started gravitating toward vintage. Now, it seems the economy is turning and there is so much excitement on the runway. I have my eye on a few fall pieces I can’t wait to try on.
I love Kara Ross’s new bags. The lines and hardware are elegant and classic but the colors and skins are young, fun and sexy. Most of my new bags are by Kara.
I am dressing my table exclusively in Kim Seybert (always classic and elegant), L’Objet and some wonderful pieces I found at a few fabulous vintage shops in Palm Beach.
Favorite handbag or pair of shoes?My favorite bag is my waiving cat by Judith Leiber. Shoes ~ any pair of platforms! I remember when platforms were hot in the 70’s and my mom only allowed me to own one pair. So, when the platform came back I went crazy! Cant’ get enough. I love YSL’s tribute sandals. They are so comfortable and easy to wear and come in every color you can imagine.
We all make impulse purchases – Any regrets or mistakes?Many! But, thankfully vintage boutiques are really hot in the U.S. so after an impulse piece has sat in my closet for a few seasons I drop it off at one of my favorite vintage shops. My most recent drop off included a turtle neck, polka dot dress. What was I thinking?
Share with us some of your hidden gems in Palm Beach. (restaurants, favorite stores/services):Sunday breakfast at the Colony with my dog! During the week, lunch at Café Boulud in the garden, dinner at La Sirena any time! Cappuccino at Blue Provence, where I can also pick up a few things for dinner while browsing the owner’s vintage finds and new tabletop pieces. Tucked in the back of Via Gucci on Worth Ave. is a lovely new Italian restaurant, Via Flora, having dinner by candlelight transports you to the Amalfi coast. I love Mary Mahoney’s! Be sure to ask about her custom made linens. A stop at
CIRCA is a must during season. Nestled away in the Palm Beach towers,
CIRCA's offices are elegant, welcoming and private. The perfect environment to decide whether or not to sell that statement piece that no longer makes a statement. Of course,
Neiman Marcus and
Calypso St. Barth for clothes and accessories. Try Kassatly's for fine linens and clothes; I found a wonderful jacket for my husband, a reversible rain jacket. He never travels without it.
Selling jewelry to CIRCA provides immediate payment to put towards new opportunities. What would be next on your list? A new purchase? A trip?Since I just returned from Cuba and saw a lot of wonderful art, next on my list would be something fabulous by a Cuban artist. In particular, I have my eye on a whimsical sculpture for my Garden in Southampton.